"An intensely original story of love, betrayal and survival, played out in a foreign, yet familiar land."

- Donald Richie, author of "The Inland Sea"

When Justin Cooper's world suddenly collapses he finds that his would-be rescuer is the very same woman, Kishiko, who triggered his downfall; except she is now the Kishiko of his dreams - and invisible to all but himself.

He senses that, to survive, he must follow the lead of his phantom lover, trusting in the powers of instinct and imagination.

Provided the original Kishiko doesn't kill him first.

From accelerating giant, China to still-slumbering Laos; from fun-pursuing Thailand to post-bubble Japan, East Asian societies display an irrepressible energy and cultural depth that can be an inspiration to all.

A seasoned writer on the East Asian scene, Roy Garner offers a personal perspective on the latest trends in lifestyles and fashions across this immensely diverse and rapidly evolving region.

"An intensely original story of love, betrayal and survival, played out in a foreign, yet familiar land."

- Donald Richie, author of "The Inland Sea"

When Justin Cooper's world suddenly collapses he finds that his would-be rescuer is the very same woman, Kishiko, who triggered his downfall; except she is now the Kishiko of his dreams - and invisible to all but himself.

He senses that, to survive, he must follow the lead of his phantom lover, trusting in the powers of instinct and imagination.

Provided the original Kishiko doesn't kill him first.

From accelerating giant, China to still-slumbering Laos; from fun-pursuing Thailand to post-bubble Japan, East Asian societies display an irrepressible energy and cultural depth that can be an inspiration to all.

A seasoned writer on the East Asian scene, Roy Garner offers a personal perspective on the latest trends in lifestyles and fashions across this immensely diverse and rapidly evolving region.

Just as a person contrives a style, the purpose of which is integration and the effect of which is presentation, so a nation collectively projects an appearance, a "national" style. Such styles are made of many layers. The deepest layer is composed of the immutable and the traditional. Nearer the surface floats fashion, changeable but sometimes more abiding. And frothing on the surface is fad.
By definition a fad is novel and appears from outside. Fads must have instant appeal and do not have a long shelf life. In Japan, an assortment of islands, the outside is often the quality that...